Content Post Idle thoughts: the "movin' on" edition

[Mike the Brit]

It will be game 12 and almost thanksgiving and we STILL haven't seen a true series of "hurry up" offense. Brady was so effective using that offense, especially against teams with big pass rushes.

We got to it for no apparent reason, just suddenly breaking into the hurry up, and then the next go back to the huddle. I love it as a strategy for keeping defenses off balance and tiring out the DL and speed rushers.

I understand why they might have not done it before, not trying to overload Maye, but I'm hoping that after this mini-bye, or at latest the actual bye, we will see this particular strategy play out

I thought that this was funny, Ken, because as long as I've been reading you and appreciating your posts you've been advocating this. And, when they had Brady, I completely agreed with you. After all, as he got older, Brady's great strength was the ability to read and diagnose defenses. So why not put him in the shotgun (or pistol) and let him take it from there?

But that was never Josh McDaniels' way.

One obvious reason is that you need versatile players. You didn't want to have to run James White up the middle or use LeGarrett Blount as a pass-catcher. But I think too that it may have to do with coaching. McDaniels has a very extensive playbook and, obviously, the bigger a playbook is the less practice time they can give to individual plays. If there are specialized groups for different downs and distances with their own set of plays, perhaps they have a better chance of the plays being effectively executed.

Anyway, though I am emotionally 100 per cent with you, I am also incredibly grateful that the Pats have McDaniels. I imagine that, if you were to be able to speak to him, he would give you a full explanation of why he doesn't go down that route (except for hurrying up to the line after a big play to near the goal-line!)

I won't deny that I was frustrated at the insistence on running inside for almost no gain on first down on Thursday night. On reflection, though, In McD I Trust.

 

[imahobgoblin]

I'm not a fan of the religious, non-answers to football questions either.

Oh well. He does not need your permission or approval to practice or speak of his faith.

 

[Real fan 02]

Re: Last night's pass rush

Williams sat the entire 2nd half - and the entire defense was on fumes due to the short week around the same time. That was a gutty performance by those kids out there last night, they gave everything in the Tampa game, and they were just out there on pure heart. Zero explosion left from anyone. Barmore, in particular was just completely gutting it out, out there, sacking it up on third downs.

Couldn't be more proud.

Watch how 'vastly improved' the pass rush will be vs. Cincinnati.

Agreed. Is there any other team that has a late bye this year like we do? Haven't checked. It certainly has it's benefits especially for a team making a play off push. Milt should take all the time he needs to get healed and rested to be a force in the postseason.

Aside from Bmore..Guys like Durden, farmer, Tonga, Ponder, Gregory will all have invaluable snaps.

 

[MrBigglesWorth]

It will be game 12 and almost thanksgiving and we STILL haven't seen a true series of "hurry up" offense. Brady was so effective using that offense, especially against teams with big pass rushes.

We got to it for no apparent reason, just suddenly breaking into the hurry up, and then the next go back to the huddle. I love it as a strategy for keeping defenses off balance and tiring out the DL and speed rushers.

I understand why they might have not done it before, not trying to overload Maye, but I'm hoping that after this mini-bye, or at latest the actual bye, we will see this particular strategy play out

Youre seeing more 5 wide and is it me or did last yrs offense has pretty much no WRS in motion

 

[Huckleberry1]

Youre seeing more 5 wide and is it me or did last yrs offense has pretty much no WRS in motion

I'm pretty sure last years offense had no wide receivers at all.

 

[JoeSixPat]

I'm pretty sure last years offense had no wide receivers at all.

Shades of the Reche Caldwell era under Brady

And as weak a group that was, they should have beaten the Colts and would have walked all over the Bears that year for the SB

That was when ALL that Brady had was a dink and dunk offense and he ran it as an art form.

The question I had before this game is that we KNOW Maye is great at 10+ yard throws but we REALLY hadn't seen him use the short pass game when that's what Ds were giving him. There's lots of good QBs who weren't great because they lacked the soft touch and nuance of the short passing game.

That question is answered - he may still be a natural strong long deep QB but those are often high risk passes and given his long ball success Ds will probably be willing to go more zone D on those short routes while double teaming the deep WRs and we all know Maye can tear them up there too

 

[Huckleberry1]

Shades of the Reche Caldwell era under Brady

And as weak a group that was, they should have beaten the Colts and would have walked all over the Bears that year for the SB

That was when ALL that Brady had was a dink and dunk offense and he ran it as an art form.

The question I had before this game is that we KNOW Maye is great at 10+ yard throws but we REALLY hadn't seen him use the short pass game when that's what Ds were giving him. There's lots of good QBs who weren't great because they lacked the soft touch and nuance of the short passing game.

That question is answered - he may still be a natural strong long deep QB but those are often high risk passes and given his long ball success Ds will probably be willing to go more zone D on those short routes while double teaming the deep WRs and we all know Maye can tear them up there too

Maye was taking what they were giving him against the Jets last Thursday, and the more teams sit back the more he will be checking down.

 

[PancakeBlockPaul]

I loathe the Thursday games myself. Shame they couldn’t schedule them the week after a teams bye somehow. Where EVERYONES Thursday night game comes after their bye. I kno I know the byes don’t come till later on but still….its an even more dangerous game them playing on a short week. On top of the teams that are coming back from the other side of the country…oh…the fact we ALL can’t watch the games and have to pay to see them also chaps my ***. Like REALLY chaps it. Prep h doesn’t even work…